Page 64 of Beneath the Midnight Sky
“Rowan!” Wyatt yelled through the phone. “Go. Get. Oliver.” His words were clipped, and his tone stern.
“I got it,” I said as I tried to rein my temper back in. I sent him the original location, and I hung up, dialing Ivy. She answered almost immediately.
“What’s up, lover boy?” she said, her voice cheerful but tired.
“How quickly can you get to my brothers? He’s at the main house here on the ranch,” I asked her quickly.
She must’ve sensed the tone of my voice and dropped the jokes. “I can be there in ten minutes. Why? What’s going on?” She sounded worried, and I knew she would be.
“I need you to hang out with Hudson, my nephew. I need Oliver’s help. I can’t explain right now, Ivy, please just get over here.”
“He’s back isn’t he…” she said quietly. I wanted her to just stop talking and get there, but I could hear her gathering her stuff and closing her door, so I refrained from yelling at her. I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to explain. I wanted to be on my bike chasing down my girl as I watched her little dot get farther and farther away. But before I could say anything, I heard her car start. She must’ve gotten her things together and moved in under a minute. “I’m on my way, Ro. Don’t panic.”
I shook my head and hung up. I didn’t have time to panic. I grabbed my helmet and keys, not even bothering to lock the door on my way out.
I was at my brother's house in what felt like mere moments. He already had his truck started before I could even fully explain what was going on. I knew I could’ve called my mom and had her come over with Hudson, but sometimes you don’t need your mom knowing about certain situations in your life. I had a feeling this would be one of those situations. The fewer questions, the better.
It didn’t take long before Ivy was there with Hudson, and we were on the road following the small dot on my stalker app. He was already out of Raven Creek and on his way south.
Oliver’s phone started ringing and he answered it without putting it on speakerphone, holding it close to his left ear, as far away from me as he could manage to hold it.
“Yeah?” he said.
I watched as his hand tightened on the steering wheel, and he glared out the front window.
“Okay, got it. Yeah, just tow it back to my house. Shouldn’t be long. Stay there, but don’t let Hudson out of the house. I don’t want him to see it and panic thinking his uncle is hurt,” he growled.
He hung up, and I looked away, my eyes catching on my left hand where her name was inked into my fingers. I vowed to myself and to whatever gods above wanted to listen that I would do whatever was necessary to ensure my girl was safe again.
My angel. My lifeline. I’d do whatever it took.
32
FUCK’S SAKE ASPEN
Aspen
My head was throbbing,and I couldn’t remember why. It felt as if I was hungover, only ten times worse than any hangover I’d experienced before. I forced my eyes open, slowly they responded, blinking a few times as I tried to remember where I was or even how I’d gotten there. It felt like I was moving, and I could smell the faint hint of leather. I could feel subtle bumps and a scattering of lights passing by. Slowly, it clicked in my mind that I was in the backseat of a vehicle, but I couldn’t make sense of who was in the front seat.
No music played, and the car didn’t smell familiar—cheap liquor and cigarettes were all I could make out aside from the leather seats beneath my face.
“Hello?” I asked into the darkness, my throat sore. I tried to take inventory of my injuries, but so far, all I could really notice was the pain in my head. Everything else seemed dull and incomparable.
“Don’t start, babe. We’re almost there,” the voice said from the front seat. Something about it felt familiar, as if I shouldknow exactly who the dissident tone belonged to. I stared around for another few moments, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on.
I’d left work and I’d texted Rowan about something…dinner or a shower? Maybe? A bath. I texted him about running a bath for us.
Someone was behind me, and I dropped my phone. I tried to move my arms to see if my phone was in my pocket, but I abruptly found they were tied behind my back. That was when I noticed the cold metal around my wrists. Handcuffs?What the fuck.How was I just noticing this? Did I hit my—the images started flowing through my mind. The other truck crashed into me, and I hit my head on something hard.
It was slowly coming back. Someone had come up and pulled me from Rowan’s truck on my way home after my shift had ended…oh, his truck. Fuck, I hope it wasn’t too damaged from the crash.
Fuck’s sake, Aspen, you’ve been kidnapped and cuffed in the back of another vehicle. Get your priorities straight right now.
I released a slow breath in a shitty attempt at calming myself. I was about to start asking what I’m sure were stupid questions when the car made an abrupt turn, and I almost fell to the floor. I bit back a cry as my body clenched, and the sharp stabbing pains throughout my body made me start truly questioning my injuries. We, I assumed, pulled into a parking spot, and he turned off the vehicle.
“Listen to me very closely,” he started saying as he turned and looked back at me. From the side profile, it started sinking in who I was looking at, and dread took over my entire body. “If you scream? I will kill you. If you try to run for help? I kill you. If you make any attempt to get me arrested, injured, or otherwise disembark from my mission to take you back home? I fucking kill you. Am I clear,babe?”
“Crystal,” I whispered.
